Jaime Fernandez, director product planning, TRW Global Occupant Safety
Systems explained: "Steering wheels are becoming more and more a
multi-functional design object where attractive appearance, feel and,
moreover, comfort are increasingly important. Having been able to choose
only the colour of your vehicle previously, TRW now allows you to customize
the inside as well."

To improve driver comfort, TRW has introduced heated wooden steering
wheels in addition to its existing heated leather range. The wheels are
activated by a switch which quickly heats the rim of the wheel to provide a
pleasant level of warmth. The electric energy is conducted by means of thin
metal heating wires placed directly beneath the wheel surface. These
heating wires are arranged so that they are not felt by the driver and will
not disturb the leather or wooden surfaces. A thermo sensor in combination
with a controller results in a constant temperature on the wheel
surface.

"The steering wheel rims can be heated within approximately five minutes
from -20 degrees C to +25 degrees C (-4 degrees F to 68 degrees F). Several
heating circuits inside the wheel provide a homogeneous temperature
distribution," continued Fernandez.

TRW's heated steering wheels are now in production with a number of
global vehicle manufacturers.

TRW has developed bi coloured steering wheels -- a new addition to its
current range of coloured steering wheel options. Both two-tone and
one-tone variations use coatings and colour pastes to match the
polyurethane steering wheel to the colour of the passenger compartment.
Coloured steering wheels also provide vehicle manufacturers with a more
affordable solution as they use foam instead of leather to significantly
reduce costs.

TRW has also developed seam-free leather steering wheels that are
unblemished by stitching and offer the driver a smoother feel. The leather
is fixed to the steering wheel through a groove on the back of the
wheel.

Fernandez added: "In addition to enhancing driver comfort, seam-free
steering wheels help to drive down costs as the manual labour required for
the leather stitching is replaced by a single automatic process."

TRW's seam-free steering wheels are due to start production at the end
of this year with a major global vehicle manufacturer.